Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), looks like its got a bit of its wing clipped off unfortunately.

Saw this right next to the garden and he let me get a close in picture of him. Looks like a black soldier fly but hard to tell. Estimated to be about 2 to 3 cm long.

Miami-Dade county spends $3m per year on sargassum removal, more than any other county in Florida, Bumpus said. The Florida Keys, however, can see heavier accumulations of sargassum because of the inlet-like shape of their beaches, he said. For centuries, sargassum has grown in the Sargasso Sea, a region of the north Atlantic encircled by ocean currents that keep the seaweed concentrated there. But in 2011, scientists saw the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt form for the first time, stretching from west Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists say several factors contribute to the blooms, including nitrogen and phosphorus from rivers – such as the Amazon, Congo, and Mississippi – warmer water temperatures and ocean circulation.

Tibouchina urvilleana

cross-posted from: https://timeyak.com/post/13708

Greetings, I recently started a new raised bed in the yard out of old galvanized metal roof panels I had laying around as I ran out of room in the greenhouse’s. Planted some leafy greens such as Vates Blue Scotch Kale and Black Simpson lettuce. Seedlings just started to come out and I was impressed with how quickly the Cardinals came out to mow them all down. I put a quick screen over it for now to give the seedlings a chance, but man, wasn’t expecting that so quick. Anybody else run into that situation as well? Do they eventually let up once the plants mature a bit? Thanks for reading and Cheers!

Greetings, I recently started a new raised bed in the yard out of old galvanized metal roof panels I had laying around as I ran out of room in the greenhouse’s. Planted some leafy greens such as Vates Blue Scotch Kale and Black Simpson lettuce. Seedlings just started to come out and I was impressed with how quickly the Cardinals came out to mow them all down. I put a quick screen over it for now to give the seedlings a chance, but man, wasn’t expecting that so quick. Anybody else run into that situation as well? Do they eventually let up once the plants mature a bit? Thanks for reading and Cheers!

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, hanging on Passionflower vine. Some other pictures below too.

long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) feeding on Blue porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis)

Cestrum aurantiacum

Oncopeltus fasciatus on Tropical Milkweed